Summer recipes: A few fresh ideas

Check out these ideas for what to cook during your next summer gathering.

GET COOKIN': A summer cookout is a perfect time to test your newest summer recipes. (Photo: Lboogiepeace/Flickr)

Summer recipes feature dishes you want to serve when you get together with family and friends. They’re the type of meals that create memories. On a secondary level, summer recipes also highlight the vegetables you picked from your garden.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, we’ve got some ideas for you in your quest for summer recipes. Have a look at some of these, culled from the pages of the Mother Nature Network:

Grilled salmon sandwich

This is a staple of West Coast pubs. Use salmon along with crusty, lightly toasted bread and some sort of lettuce. The real kicker is the sauce on the fish. Many folks enjoy mayo with chopped capers. Read more: Grilled salmon sandwich recipe.

Stuffed jalapeno chiles

Lots of people enjoy growing jalapenos in the backyard, and here’s a great recipe for when these peppers start to ripen this summer. You’ll have to hollow out the chiles and then insert a cheese and breadcrumb mix. Cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes and you’re ready for a spicy treat. Read more: Stuffed jalapeno recipe.

As the vegetarian counterpart to the grilled salmon sandwich, this is another easy-to-prepare summer recipe that garners lots of flavor from your choice of sauce. Use kosher salt, basil, mayonnaise, olive oil and garlic for a tasty topping on your sandwich. Read more: Grilled eggplant sandwich.

And for dessert … apple crisp.

What's a cool way to end a hot summer day? Try vanilla ice cream on top of apple crisp. We’ve got the perfect recipe using Pristine apples. Of course, you’ll want to consider using Trader Joe’s ice cream since it’s made with rBst-free milk. Read more: Apple crisp recipe.

Got more ideas for summer recipes? Leave us a note in the comments below.